Getting to Know My New Flock

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 
John 10:27

Even the sweetest, tamest sheep do not automatically transfer their affections and trust to a new shepherd.  Bringing a new flock to Boston Lake means I need to gradually build a relationship with my sheep until they know me. 

Yesterday I started by putting a little dish of oatmeal on the ground and then sitting on a stool about 10 feet away.  Eventually, Amber and Mirta were curious enough to investigate and get the treat.  I spoke quietly to them the entire time they ate so they would associate my voice with good food.  Later in the evening, I strategically sat under the tree where the shade was the deepest and the biting flies were few.  The ewes came in from the pasture and laid down in the dirt under the tree with me.  Enough progress for one day.

Amber & Mirta

First thing this morning I put a tablespoon of oatmeal in 5 bowls and visited the ewes again.  They came forward but hung back with hesitation.  So I pulled down a basswood branch full of tender leaves they had not been able to reach.  Little Heidi galloped over to the leaves and started munching the treat.  Within a few minutes all the girls were crowded around me eating leaves and discovering the dishes of oatmeal.  Over lunch I pulled down a branch and the girls came running.  This evening, I even scratched Mirta, Amber, and Heidi on their throats for just a few seconds while they were busy vying for the best leaves. (Petting sheep from the underside is less threatening to them than petting from above like a predator.)  It will take a bit more time for these girls to trust me as they did their original shepherd, Kelly.  But I'm delighted that all the girls are willing to mill about my legs to get a treat.  Little Heidi even used me as a brace to stand on her hind legs to reach higher.

Amber, Holly, Mirta

Mirta & Leda

Heidi

Yet there is no vacuum in nature.  Last night a wolf was howling quite near, which set off a whole pack of high-pitched coyotes...also very near.  Wild animals are so intimately aware of their surroundings, irregardless of how oblivious humans are to their environment.  It is probably not a coincidence that both species of canine predator announced themselves 24 hours after the sheep arrived.  I'm relying on Lleulu and the Electronet to keep us all safe.

Late Summer Ram Lambs

Ta-Da! The inspiring Trans Am!

I never get tired of photographing this boy.

Tucker's head.  Just minutes before he broke off one of his button scurs.  Wish all my ram lambs had so little horn material!  Tucker has improved in his attitude.  He is seldom even interested in me anymore, and when he does come forward, he sniffs and walks away again.  I never did get him banded.  So I am impressed that he seems to have outgrown his shenanigans.  Tucker is my second largest ram lamb, recessive for moorit, and carrying solid.

 

Nhu's twin ram lambs, Gwilym & Ian.  Both have gorgeous fleece.  I'm showing their back ends because the moorit was born with what appeared to be a long hairy tail.  It was so out of line with his parentage.  But look at him now...a very small and proper tail!  How these lambs can surprise me.

Here is Nhu's moorit, Ian, from the front.  One of his scurs broke early on, the other is it's original length.  This boy had a spotted forehead at birth.  And I'll be coating him as soon as I get out the needle and thread to repair one more C coat.

August Already...

...how can that be?

Boston Lake Esyllt ('10) & Sextant ('11)

(both wearing size D coats)

We have been having a hot and humid summer with ample (too much!) rain so the pastures have been as lush as can be.  It has almost been hard keeping up with them, but the sheep are doing their best.

Boston Lake Lyneth

Yesterday, Clancy helped me put coats on the ewe/lamb flock.  I wish it hadn't taken me this long to get that accomplished.  At least they have been on pasture since shearing this spring.  No hay feeding without the coats on is my rule around here.

RiverOaks Hannah

All of the ewes are looking good except for Nhu.  She still has her twin ramlings with her, so that might be part of it.  She also tends toward the thin/narrow type.  But I gave her some Valbazen de-wormer anyway.

Boston Lake Trans Am

(S'more Courante x River Oaks Hannah)

Even the lambs were coated.  Most are in a size C coat now.  But Trans's twin, Justina, is still in a B; and Sextant is in a D!  He will be a nice butcher lamb this fall.



3 of 4 Ewe Lambs

I wanted to post about all of my ewe lambs, but I could not get Sian's black daughter, Jane, to pose for any photos.  Here are the other three ewe lambs...

Justina (Courante x Hannah) 

My only Courante ewe lamb...but she proved that Courante carries solid, so I'm pleased.  Justina carries moorit and spots - as evidenced by her tiny white head spot at birth.  She is twin to Trans Am (Mr Spotty).  Justina is also the lamb I thought might be modified.  She still has an odd black color compared to the other black ewe lambs, but I can't see any color change at the base of her fleece.  So maybe not.  This little girl is super friendly like her dam.  :)

Penelope (Ash x Lana)  (left), Trans Am (right)

Penelope and Justina look a lot alike.  I need to get ear tags into them soon.  However there are some differences... Penelope's poll wool comes down to a point on her forehead while Justina's is an oval shape.  Penelope is also skittish like her dam and won't come up to me yet.  I'm tempted to wean her at the end of summer in a barn stall for a few days to tame her down.  Having friendly sheep is so much more convenient than having skittish sheep.  This little girl is lovely in every way.  Perfect tail, great conformation, and the genetics and promise of great fleece.  So glad she is in my flock.



Justina (left) & Penelope (right)

Francesca  (Ash x Sian)

Fran is just the sweetest little ewe lamb.  Friendly, lovely color, terrific tail and conformation.  I'm very excited to finally have a home-bred moorit ewe in my flock!  Please excuse the mineral on her nose.  :)

I am so tempted to breed my ewe lambs to Courante this fall... in case I decide to sell him so I can be ram-free the year my twin sons graduate from high school.  (I know that their grad party is going to be a lot of work to prepare for so I'm trying to think ahead.)  But I'm not a fan of breeding ewe lambs... So I guess I'll be hashing that idea back and forth till fall.  Leaning away from that choice at the moment...

Significant Changes

A while back I mentioned that I would be taking a few years off from breeding Shetlands.  I had very good reasons for making that choice.  But I have been re-evaluating my situation... I've always run 2 or more rams on the farm.  This year, instead of nothing, I'm going to run just one ram.  That should ease stress and work load quite a bit while still allowing me to make progress toward my polled and fine fleece goals.  I came to this decision after a fellow breeder asked to buy my last ram, S'more Courante.  I did have him for sale.  But I was already rethinking that notion when the offer was made.  With the pressing reality of Courante actually leaving, I decided only one ewe lamb from him was just not enough of his genetics in my flock.  And the breeder was kind enough to accept my removing the ram from my sales list.  So Courante is staying for another season at least.  And hopefully next spring I will get some more ewe lambs from him that are as impressive as his ram lambs are.

I also decided to sell 4 adult ewes this year to make room for the four ewe lambs I am retaining.  Three of these ewes are reserved now, and it is hard to imagine that they will leave, as they are all friendly girls.  But their bloodlines are well represented in their lambs, and even improved upon with regard to the polled gene... so there is no regret... just a wistfulness at not being able to keep them all.

Below are Sian's two ewe lambs that will be staying, while she and her other daughter, Leil, leave for a new home.

Francesca (Ash x Sian)

Jane (Ash x Sian)

Horn Growth Report

All the ram lambs, except for Trans Am, are 6 weeks old today.  So I took photos of them to record their horn growth.

Above is Gwilym (twin Courante x Nhu).  He has the biggest scurs so far with these little wiggly points.  His face looks exactly like his sire.  His twin, Ian, is in the background.

Ian (Courante x Nhu) ties for the least horn growth.  You can't see any horn material unless you look straight down at the poll.

Tucker (Ash x Leil) is the other ram without any real scur growth.

Sextant (Courante x January) is the biggest lamb of the year.  He is so aloof I rarely get a photo of him.  This pic is more of a "place holder."  From what I can see, Sextant has a little more horn material than Ian and Tucker, but his scurs are not as long or pointy as Gwilym's.

Trans Am (twin Courante x Hannah) is only 4.5 weeks old today.  He has the most horn material of all the ram lambs.  His horns are still substantially less than a full horned ram's would be...but I have no idea what his scurs are going to look like.

All Before the Snow

Last Saturday the plan was to put breeding groups together and tear down the summer electronet paddocks.

It was cold with a light dusting of icy snow that had settled into the pot holes and between the tufts of grass.  All in all, a bitter, gray November day.

But the sheep fully cooperated with my strategy for moving them.  Even the lambs followed where I led.

I love bucket trained sheep!

The breeding groups were assembled.

Ash seemed to be the lucky ram:  Lana (gulmoget) was immediately receptive on Saturday.

None of Courante's ewes wanted to be anywhere near him.  That didn't stop him from trying, though.

This is a photo of three of my Bombarde x AnnaBelle daughters.  They really do appear to be clones separated only by age.

Yearling Vianne (left) was put with Ash because he is the smaller of the two rams.   Two year old Lyneth, (right) was paired with the much larger Courante.  And lambykins Carys (center) is safe from the stinky boys until next year.   

River Oaks Lana sporting a size F coat....too big.  She's wearing a size E now.

The moorit girl in front is River Oaks Hannah.  Hannah must be an easy keeper because she looks like she is about to have twins.  All that girth fills out the size F coat just fine, though I doubt she will need a bigger size this winter.

Yearling LittleRedOak January is still in an E coat.  Her fleece is quite long, though, so I'm sure she'll move up to an F for the remainder of winter.  Even though she did get bred as a lamb, I am very satisfied with her growth this summer.  She raised a nice big daughter, and grew herself.  I really love her Shetland face and ears!

My two remaining ram lambs were given a dog kennel panel pen attached to a barn stall, thanks to my dad who procured several panels from a guy that works at a landfill.  (It is truly amazing what people throw away.)  It is not nearly as roomy as all the other pens, but I daresay it is the coziest.  They will be brought up to the small round pen after the ewe lambs have returned to the big ewe pen.  After breeding season...early-ish January.

So as darkness fell on Saturday, a snowstorm moved in.  Between then and now, we have received over 14 inches of snow.  I can't express how grateful I am that all this work and rearranging got finished before the first big snow.

I have observed Ash breeding:

Lana  11/20/10

Sian  11/22/10

and he seems very interested in

Vianne 11/24/10 (today)

Courante is still courting his girls, but I haven't witnessed anything yet.  I used to worry about such things, but I've learned that the rams almost always get the job done whether I watch it happen or not.  But it is so nice to have a guess at lambing dates, so I peek out the window whenever I'm home during daylight hours.  I sincerely hope Lyneth takes this year.  I really want lambs from her.  Last year she was too fat, but she hasn't received any treats this year so I hope that solved the problem.

I would like to wish everyone a lambing season full of wishes come true!

And to the non-sheepy people out there...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Shetland Breeding Plan

I finally decided on my breeding groups for the Shetlands. 

Because I still have a couple of horn-genetic ewes in the flock, I put the emphasis on polled pairings.  If I'm lucky, I might get some ewe lambs to retain and then I can move out the horn girls.  It is hard to think of turnover like that.  But it is the only way I'm going to move forward toward a full-polled flock.

I favored conformation, medium size, and fleece as well.  With these priorities, I had to disregard color and pattern.  I'm ok with this tactic, and I think I will still get a nice variety of color in the lambs. 

LittleRedOak Ash will get the following ewes:

Boston Lake Sian: solid black, horn-genetics

River Oaks Lana: black gulmoget, poll-carrier

Boston Lake Vianne: white poll-carrier

Boston Lake Leil: gray, possible poll carrier

S'more Courante will get the following ewes:

sorry for the bad photo

River Oaks Hannah: moorit, polled

LittleRedOak January: moorit katmoget, polled

Boston Lake Nhu: black katmoget, poll carrier

Boston Lake Lyneth: white, poll carrier

This will be, potentially, my biggest lamb crop ever.  I'm a little nervous about it, but I am excited to see what these rams can do.  Breeding groups will be put together after Thanksgiving.

My two ewe lambs, Esyllt and Carys, will sit out the breeding season together in the girl's pen.

Back & Forth Boys

What to do with the ram lambs?  I go back and forth.

Sell? Keep? Market as butcher lambs? Wether for fiber pets?

I changed coats on all three boys yesterday.  My own sons were helping me with the changes and then moving them across the yard to a new paddock...so I didn't bother with getting photos during the process.  But I did get a chance to evaluate fleeces again.

Beck...not quite as soft as a newborn.  But yesterday I couldn't feel any difference between his fleece and his brother's fleece.  I had made up my mind to wether him.  Now I'm doubting that decision.  I'm assuming that decisions like this start getting harder as one approaches flock goals.  So I will count it as a sign of flock improvement that my least favorite lamb seems as soft as my favorite.

Clennam and Tecwyn knee deep in clover.  Having good forage this late in the year is so uncommon.

Clennam with his broken scur.  Since it isn't hurting him in anyway, I keep forgetting to get it clipped off.  Clennam has gorgeous black tips to his fleece under that coat.

This photo shows how good Beck's hindquarters are.  All three boys are nice and wide like this.

And here is my favorite...Tecwyn.  He has fine bones and yet a very alert, masculine presence.  And the softest fleece in my flock.

New Ewes

Here are the two ewes I brought home from Becky's house:

River Oaks Hannah & Lana.

I just love them. This photo doesn't do them justice. They are gorgeous girls with beautiful faces, fleece, and conformation. And they have polled potential!!!!

The Goal

Little Red Oak Ash

smooth polled ram

1 year old

Boston Lake Clennam

scurred ram lamb

13 weeks old

Considering the fact that both the rams I used last fall had huge horns, it is rather amazing that the scurs I got in ram lambs this spring are as small as they are. But scurs are not smooth polls. And smooth polls are what I want.

Setting up breeding groups for this fall will be a major challenge for me. I have several ewes that carry polled. Some may even be full polls. I have two rams with good potential. Ash is a smooth poll and Courante has snail scurs. The challenge for me will be to try to emphasize polled breedings even though my tendency is to breed for the best conformation possible.

Perhaps every shepherd favors a certain approach to creating breeding pairs. When push comes to shove, I favor creating a lamb with improved conformation...straighter legs, a shorter tail, a more correct ear set, a prettier head, etc. I am always trying to get softer fleeces with at least a 4 inch length. And now I am really trying to get polled lambs. But my brain has a very hard time considering a pairing for fleece or polled if I feel the resulting lamb may loose ground in the area of conformation. I cringe at the thought and end up rearranging breeding pairs until my mind is relieved. So a fleece goal may have to wait another year...Maybe the lambs might be half-polls. I tolerate the time lapsed for these goals to satisfy the conformation goals. It's just the way I'm hard wired.

So is this good or bad? Better or worse than another shepherd's goals?

I believe it is a good thing. But it is not better than anyone else, and certainly it is no worse.

If I have any kind of eye at all relating to sheep, it is to discern a well-put-together animal. By no means am I the best at this. What I still need to learn is infinite. But I have a passion for it and so I shall try to humbly consider it one of my talents.

However, every shepherd has some talent of discernment. Whether it is a discernment for fine fleece, lustre, silky handle, rare color, spot patterns, productivity, hardiness, polled genetics, friendliness, thriftiness, size, or any of the other traits Shetlands are noted for. If I can't help the way my eye is drawn to a specific type of sheep, there is a good chance other shepherds can't help it either. Their talents lead them in a certain direction.

This can be a wonderful thing assuming each breeder is still aiming for Shetlands that meet the breed standard. If Shepherd A has been focusing on fine fleece for several years than there is a good chance that trait is rather "set" in his flock. I introduce that trait to my flock by choosing to buy sheep from Shepherd A. Shepherd B may have been focusing on polled genetics or thriftiness with her flock. She would be the person to turn to for more of those traits. As long as each one of us is breeding to the Standard, we are free to focus our flocks according to our talents and resources.

I didn't set out to write about the 1927 Standard. I intended to say "I can't wait till my ram lambs are as polled as LRO Ash." But in writing out my thoughts, I realized I CAN wait. I would have to morph into a different person to rearrange my strategies for reaching flock goals. That led me to ponder why I am like that, thereby realizing that everyone has their tendencies. But what makes it possible for me to benefit from the introduction of other flock's genetics, is the Shetland Breed Standard. If that is the measure we are all holding against our sheep, one person's flock goal can be utilized by another shepherd to create a more well-rounded sheep. If the Standard has not been applied, then a specific trait may be introduced, but the identity of the breed will be compromised.

When I critique my own lambs, it is easy to see the good. They are cute, after all, and much longed for. Each one is a fulfillment of a dream. But then, as a breeder, it is my job to go back and look at each one with a harsh eye. What parts of the Standard does each lamb fall short of? If I still think the lamb is worthy of breeding - for no lamb is absolutely perfect - do I have the integrity to point out the weaknesses and faults of the animal in my advertising? There might be a buyer out there whose flock is strong where my lamb is weak, and that flock can thereby absorb the weakness while still benefiting from my lamb's strengths. There are a whole lot more buyers out there that might not yet be able to notice my lamb's fault, and unwittingly pair him with animals that will only exaggerate the fault. The only guards we have against the eventual unraveling of our breed is to use the Standard and exercise our integrity.

Even though I support the wording of Appendix A and it being a part of our Standard, I can understand how some people might be uncomfortable with it. One thing that I haven't been able to understand, though, is how some breeders have voiced that they never really paid attention to, or gave much weight to, the Standard in the first place. Those sentiments surprise me. So I guess it is fair to be open about my vision as a breeder of Shetlands. I do take the Standard seriously. I do try to use it as the final measure against which all of my stock is judged. For better or worse, that is how I look at my flock.

Blessings to all as we journey through this life together.

Underneath

We changed coats on the two mature rams last night. The mosquitoes were terrible so we didn't linger to look at fleece too much. I just snapped a quick photo and then we put the bigger coats on. I was glad to see that both boys are in good condition. And their fleeces are looking very nice.

S'more Courante was not pleased about being handled. He was struggling a bit so his stance is all messed up for the picture.

LRO Ash loved every minute of his handling. He stretched himself out to take full advantage of it all. He didn't mind me picking up his legs and shoving them through the straps...so different from the ewes. My tamest ewe will still kick and turn inside out to avoid the coats. Ash behaved as though he was getting a personal massage. He'd be in our laps if we weren't careful to avoid spoiling him.

I'm really looking forward to using these two boys. Spring 2011 is going to be exciting around here. :)

Eight Week Scurs

Technically, Beck and Tecwyn were only 7+ weeks when these photos were taken. Clennam was a full 8 weeks, though.

Tecwyn (black katmoget) has the longest scurs of the bunch. They are quite thin and wiggly. If I had horned ram lambs around, I'm sure he would have broken a scur already. But it is amazing how little the polled/scurred boys fight. Fine by me.

Beck (moorit katmoget) has shorter scurs. They are also wiggly.

These two ram lambs have exceeded my expectations. Tecwyn is the silkiest, softest lamb I've ever had here. I'm even toying with the idea of working him into my breeding plans. It's just that I don't know what his scurs will be like...I don't know if I want to use a ram with scurs...I already have Courante...we'll just have to see. Except for the questionable scur growth, I am very taken with Tecwyn.

Clennam's (grey) scurs look pretty big in these photos, mostly because one can't see his whole body at the same time. He has the smallest scurs of the bunch, though. One broke off and is less pointy than the other. The pointy part is actually bendable like fingernail material.

I am also considering keeping and using Clennam. The dilemma is that I already have 4 of his full blood sisters in my small flock. I'm not sure I have a place for him. Another wait and see situation...

Ram Heads

It is hard for me to get flattering photos of my two yearling rams, S'more Courante and Little Red Oak Ash. They tend to crowd the fence line when I approach because they think I am about to move their electronet to new grass. The anticipation keeps them moving about.Courante broke his scurs off down to small nubs several times over the winter while he was penned with horned rams. Since then, his left scur broke once and is only a 1" nub. His right scur had grown into a snail scur, though, and we cut it off this past weekend. It only bled a tiny bit. No worries.Ash has only the smallest crumbly patches on his head.They have never grown or been knocked off. Half-poll or full-poll...I LIKE this type of head on a ram! No maintenance! :)Last but not least, a snap of 6 week old Clennam's noggin. He knocked off his right scur a few days ago and has the slightly smaller one left. Fingers crossed..